Rumble!
Violet-blue thunderbolts split the dark horizon, piercing a dazzling streak of light through the cloud-choked sky. Endless thunder reverberated in their ears.
"Crack!"
Fierce winds howled between heaven and earth. Fragile flowers and grasses were flattened in an instant, trees as thick as bowl rims flew through the air, and torrential rain poured down. The waves of the Yangtze River surged violently, and almost every great river churned.
The entire city of Jianye lay prostrate beneath this scene that resembled the end of the world.
The door of Luo Xianzhi's residence had not been closed. A piece of wood wedged beneath it held it in place as it swayed gently in the gale. The wind swept sheets of rain into the room, soaking the floor.
Luo Xianzhi lay in a rocking chair, silently gazing outside. He seemed deep in thought, yet also seemed distracted, his face unmistakably pale.
Xie Daoyun watched him anxiously. Even before the downpour began, Luo Xianzhi had been sitting here in a daze.
"My wife, I may have made a mistake."
Luo Xianzhi suddenly spoke. Despite the rumbling thunder and rushing rain, Xie Daoyun heard him clearly. His abrupt remark puzzled her. "Husband, what mistake?"
Luo Xianzhi said slowly, "You know that I am going to die."
"Your Majesty."
When Xiao Yan, who was worshipping the Buddha in the imperial palace, heard that Luo Xianzhi had actually entered the palace, he hurriedly stripped off his kasaya, put on formal robes, and rushed outside the hall. He had just crossed the threshold when he saw a group carrying Luo Xianzhi toward him.
Over these past ten years, this emperor of ours had become far more muddleheaded than in his youth. He had lost the drive of an exceptional ruler and wanted only to worship the Buddha.